Thailand

Barbara Walton/European Pressphoto Agency

Thailand, known until 1932 as the Kingdom of Siam, is one of the world’s most enduring monarchies and is the only Southeast Asian nation never to have experienced European colonization. From its political reform in 1932, however, Thailand’s 76 provinces have struggled through decades of instability, with the military attempting 19 coups d’état in 80 years, 12 of them successful.

In May 2014, Thailand’s army once again took control of a deeply divided country, following the removal of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and nine cabinet ministers by the nation’s Constitutional Court. General Prayuth Chan-ocha was named prime minister by the National Legislative Assembly, sealing the military’s acquisition of near-absolute power by August 2014.

Despite internal turmoil, Thailand participates fully in regional and international affairs, has contributed troops to reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is a bilateral trading partner with the United States, one of its largest investors along with Japan and China. Thailand’s government is a founding member of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a political and economic coalition aimed at accelerating economic growth and social progress among its 10 member countries.

Scroll below to learn more about Thailand using our article archive and chronology of breaking news.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 25, 2015

Thai prosecutors indict 72 people on charges of participation in human trafficking syndicate; suspects include military general and other officials. MORE

Jul. 15, 2015

Thai military court hands down sentences to 10 people for distributing online content that it said to have insulted the monarchy; police say network was headed by Hassadin Uraipraiwan, more widely known as DJ Banpodj. MORE

Jul. 10, 2015

Thailand government ignores international warnings and sends 100 ethic Uighurs back to China, which they had fled to escape harsh treatment; United Nations officials condemns act as flagrant violation of international law. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

Thailand confirms its first known case of Middle East respiratory syndrome, known as MERS; 75-year-old man under quarantine and is in stable condition. MORE

May. 20, 2015

Thailand's former Prime Min Yingluck Shinawatra pleads not guilty to charges of criminal negligence over scheme to prop up rice prices. MORE

May. 16, 2015

International Organization for Migration says boat carrying hundreds of migrants fleeing Myanmar has returned to sea after Thai authorities say people on boat told them they wanted to try to reach Malaysia; boat is part of flotilla that is carrying some of the estimated 6,000 to 20,000 people fleeing persecution in Myanmar and poverty in Bangladesh. MORE

May. 13, 2015

Editorial observes that some 8,000 refugees have been abandoned at sea by smugglers as Thailand cracks down on human trafficking; notes while regional governments are finally taking steps to curb trafficking, they are showing little mercy for victims; argues root problem is Myanmar's mistreatment of its Muslim Rohingya population, of which some 140,000 have been driven from their homes by violence. MORE

May. 5, 2015

Thai authorities, prompted by discovery of mass grave near border with Malaysia, open investigation into whether local officials or police were complicit in human trafficking network. MORE

Apr. 11, 2015

Editorial criticizes Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, leader of Thailand's military junta, for lifting martial law only to replace it with draconian powers for himself; holds lifting of martial law is aimed at appeasing foreign investors and tourism industry without restoring democracy. MORE

Apr. 3, 2015

Apr. 2, 2015

Thailand's military junta lifts martial law in most of country but maintains new laws that essentially give it absolute power. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Bangkok Journal; most Thais, including business executives, students and even political elites, believe in supernatural; Kapol Thongplub, host of popular nightly radio show The Shock, considers himself a ghost expert. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

Thailand's military junta, which overthrew democratically elected government in May 2014, is marginalizing their political opposition through paperwork and lawsuits rather than violence; have forced hundreds of people to sign documents allowing junta to seize their assets if they become politically active; junta's tactic stands on shaky legal ground, with deep reliance on military courts that offer civilians no possibility of appeal. MORE

Jan. 27, 2015

Daniel R Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, urges Thai military junta to end martial law; statement by Russel, who is America's most senior diplomat to visit Thailand since military seized power, is seen as most pointed criticism yet of junta's overthrow of elected government. MORE

Jan. 24, 2015

News Analysis; Thailand's military junta's legislative assembly votes overwhelmingly to impeach former Prime Min Yingluck Shinawatra, barring her from public office for five years; junta indicates Shinawatra will be indicted on charge of criminal negligence; actions threaten to prolong conflict in country and dispel junta's claim to being honest broker. MORE

Jan. 23, 2015

Thailand government formed by military junta after overthrow of Prime Min Yingluck Shinawatra in May 2014 votes to impeach her and impose on her five-year political ban; also announces that she will be charged with criminal negligence for implementing rice subsidy program. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

Ban Rak Thai Journal; some 64 villages in northern Thailand are inhabited by Chinese descendents of China's Lost Army, unit of Koumintang's Nationalist Army, which was defeated by Mao Zedong's Red Army in 1949; some of defeated soldiers fled to Thailand, where their relatives maintain Chinese traditions. MORE

Dec. 21, 2014

Jody Jaffe and John Muncie travel article on Thailand's 'gong highway,' 21-mile section of road in east where gongs and bells are made for most of country's more than 30,000 Buddhist temples. MORE

Dec. 13, 2014

Princess Srirasm of Thailand, mother of a presumed heir to the Thai throne, has requested permission to give up her royal title. MORE

Dec. 6, 2014

Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, world's longest-serving monarch, cancels his annual birthday speech because he is in poor health; he has spent much of past few years in a Bangkok hospital with a variety of ailments. MORE

Dec. 1, 2014

Relatives of Princess Srirasm, prominent member of Thai royal family, have been charged with corruption and stripped of their royally bestowed name; move is rare public display of palace intrigue. MORE

Nov. 29, 2014

Thailand's interim Parliament gives initial approval to bill banning practice of hiring women to carry fetuses to term; country has been rocked by several surrogacy scandals in 2014. MORE

Nov. 21, 2014

Movie theater chain in Thailand withdraws latest Hunger Games film after student protesters are detained for using three-finger salute of resistance, gesture taken from films, to protest coup by Thai army and its authoritarian government; authorities warn that anyone using salute, which is depicted in film as an act of silent rebellion, in public could be subject to arrest. MORE

Nov. 5, 2014

Thai court sentences Akkaradet Eiamsuwan to two and a half years in prison for posting a message on Facebook that court said insulted King Bhumibol Adulyadej. MORE

Nov. 2, 2014

Thailand's military government, looking for ways to enhance their international image, is considering law banning trade in dog meat; pressured by activists both inside the country and internationally, ban would impact relatively small portion of population, as dog meat is not a traditional Thai practice. MORE

Oct. 15, 2014

Hearings begin in Thailand on killings of British tourists David Miller and Hannah Witheridge; missteps by Thai police in case have threatened to further damage country's tourism industry, which was already suffering following May military takeover. MORE

Oct. 9, 2014

Amnesty International urges Thailand to investigate allegations that police tortured two suspects who reportedly confessed to killing two British tourists on a southern island. MORE

Oct. 6, 2014

Record household debt and signs of drought are squeezing Thailand's economy; country's farmers are expected to bear the brunt as central bank predicts economic growth of 1.5 percent for 2014. MORE

Oct. 4, 2014

Authorities in Thailand have arrested two migrant workers from Myanmar after they confessed to killing two British tourists whose bludgeoned corpses were discovered on a beach. MORE

Sep. 29, 2014

Bangkok Journal; Thai government will unveil device that promoters say can scientifically evaluate food in order to determine whether it is genuine Thai cuisine; robotic taster, developed by government-financed Thai Delicious Committee, is aimed particularly at combating proliferation of bland Thai food overseas. MORE

Sep. 16, 2014

Thai Ministry of Education has ordered history textbooks to omit any mention of former Prime Min Thaksin Sinawatra; it is unclear to what degree ruling military junta can censor history due to Internet and social media. MORE

Sep. 11, 2014

Amnesty International cites at least one report of torture and hundreds of civilian detentions by military in wake of coup that overthrew democratically elected government of Thailand in May 2014. MORE

Aug. 29, 2014

Criminal court in Bangkok dismisses murder case against former Prime Min Abhisit Vejjajiva and his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban, highly contentious decision likely to rekindle political animosity in military-ruled Thailand; former officials ordered move against protesters in 2010, which left dozens of people dead and thousands injured. MORE

Aug. 27, 2014

Thailand's military government says it planning to end lucrative cottage industry of women carrying babies for foreigners, mainly couples from wealthier Asian nations; commercial surrogacy has been available for at least a decade in Thailand, one of only a handful of countries where it is allowed, and one of only two in Asia, making it a prime destination for couples from countries where practice is banned. MORE

Aug. 22, 2014

Thailand's junta leader Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the overthrow of Thailand’s government in May 2014, is named prime minister. MORE

Aug. 3, 2014

Suzanne Ybarra relates an adventurous trip she took with her late brother to an elephant festival in Thailand. MORE

Aug. 1, 2014

Thailand’s junta appoints 200-member interim legislature which includes 105 people who hold military ranks and 11 from the police, as well as 84 civilian members. MORE

Jul. 23, 2014

Thailand adopts temporary constitution, taking first step toward the return of electoral democracy after two months of military rule. MORE

Jul. 12, 2014

Poachers have killed and sawed tusks off 50-year-old elephant named Klao, who performed in Thai royal processions and has been featured in movies. MORE

Jun. 22, 2014

Editorial, citing State Department report on human trafficking, warns that Thailand's thriving seafood trade is is deeply reliant on slave labor; calls on major global corporations to cease imports from fisherman or companies that have been identified as using slave labor, and argues that United States should withhold aid and assistance from countries like Thailand that refuse to crack down. MORE

Jun. 21, 2014

State Dept report finds that Thailand and Malaysia are among two dozen countries doing the least to fight human trafficking; finding could lead to economic and diplomatic penalties. MORE

Jun. 16, 2014

Tens of thousands of Cambodian workers flee Thailand, driven by fears of crackdown on illegal foreign labor by military junta that took power in May; exodus threatens to strain relationship between countries and is harmful to both Cambodian workers and Thai industry. MORE

Jun. 14, 2014

Thailand's military government announces that it has fully lifted nationwide curfew it imposed after seizing power in May. MORE

Jun. 7, 2014

Small group of Thailand's intellectuals are fleeing the country in wake of coup, as leaders of the Thai junta detain hundreds of prominent people in what many consider campaign of fear meant to silence critics or drive them out. MORE

Jun. 3, 2014

Thailand’s military junta, which has banned public protests, is unsure how to treat citizens who make a three-fingered salute, a sign of resistance borrowed from movie The Hunger Games. MORE

May. 31, 2014

Thailand's military junta tightens its control with far-reaching plan to appoint interim government, write new constitution and carry out large-scale public works projects; junta also discloses for first time that it intends to stay in charge at least into second half of 2015. MORE

May. 30, 2014

Editorial warns that Thailand's military, which took power in a coup, is operating an increasingly authoritarian government intent on silencing all forms of dissent and disobedience; contends military's heavy-handed actions risk escalating conflict and weakening the country's struggling economy; urges American officials to use their ties to the army to persuade its generals to restore democracy. MORE

May. 28, 2014

Thailand's ruling military, in what it described as one of its first post-coup priorities, orders disbursement of 92 billion baht, equivalent of $2.8 billion, to rice farmers in effort to lift rural incomes; previous government had tried to pay farmers but was unsuccessful in the face of debilitating protests. MORE

May. 27, 2014

Thailand's military junta says it will stay in power indefinitely and that its rule has been endorsed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej; Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, who overthrew the elected government, says the military will create a democracy but gives no time frame for doing so. MORE

{"type":"article","show_header_text":false,"header":"Articles","query":"","search_query":"(glocations.contains:\"Thailand\" OR glocations.contains:\"\\(Thailand\\)\") AND -type_of_material:\"Editorial\" AND -type_of_material:\"Correction\" AND -type_of_material:\"Obituary\" AND -type_of_material:\"paid death notice\" AND -headline:\"paid notice\" AND -type_of_material:\"Caption\" AND -type_of_material:\"Summary\" AND -type_of_material:\"Schedule\" AND -type_of_material:\"Letter\" AND -news_desk:\"Travel\" AND -news_desk:\"Escapes\" AND -news_desk:\"Dining\" AND -news_desk:\"Fashion\" AND -news_desk:\"Fashions\" AND -news_desk:\"Style\" AND -news_desk:\"Styles\" AND -news_desk:\"Society\" AND -news_desk:\"Home\" AND -news_desk:\"Home\/Style\" AND -news_desk:\"Living\" AND -news_desk:\"Beauty\" AND -news_desk:\"Design\" AND -news_desk:\"Theater\" AND -subject:\"Theater\" AND -news_desk:\"Movies\" AND -subject:\"Motion Pictures\" AND -subject:\"Movies\" AND -news_desk:\"Great Homes and Destinations\"","num_search_articles":"15","show_summary":true,"show_byline":true,"show_pub_date":true,"hide_thumbnails":false,"show_kicker":false,"show_title":false,"show_related_topics":true,"show_rad_links":true,"show_subtopics":true,"exclude_topics":"THAILAND","more_on_header":"MORE ON THAILAND AND:","alternate_index_subidx":"","show_thumbnails":true}